Baby Blackbird - Stranded (1 Viewer)

B

BF1

Member

• Jun 18, 2012

• #1

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum but we have a baby blackbird in our garden that cannot fly and is showing no attempt to do so.

What do we do as this birds lifespan is going to be short lived as we are regularly visited by neighbours cats and the bird is just hopping around our garden.

It has found a hiding place between our stacked garden chairs but when it's out in the open the cats will be on it in no time.

It is taking the food and water we leave out but is just showing no signs of trying to fly.

 

HartleyHare

Well-known member

• Jun 18, 2012

• #2

Is it injured ? If its not then its probably best to leave it alone as the parents will be close by and feeding it. Could you provide some more hidey holes for it perhaps ?
I just remembered that we had a Blackbird fledgling in our conservatory last year and that couldn't fly either. I think they take awhile to start flying ? Hope it's ok.

 

Last edited: Jun 18, 2012

B

BF1

Member

• Jun 18, 2012

• #3

HartleyHare said:

Is it injured ? If its not then its probably best to leave it alone as the parents will be close by and feeding it. Could you provide some more hidey holes for it perhaps ?
I just remembered that we had a Blackbird fledgling in our conservatory last year and that couldn't fly either. I think they take awhile to start flying ? Hope it's ok.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply.

No, doesn't appear injured but it's tail feathers don't look fully intact but maybe they just haven't developed fully?

Where it's hiding (between stacked garden chairs) is very covert. I went looking for it yesterday and thought it had made its way out of the garden. It was that well hidden I couldn't see him / her.

My fear is that it is leaving itself so open by continually hopping around the garden. My wife was sitting in the garden earlier and it was just feet away from her and then was joined by its siblings!

Just hope it can last out long enough as we are both at work and can't keep observation.

 

delia todd

If I said the wrong thing it was a Senior Moment

Staff member

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Jun 18, 2012

• #4

Hi BF1

Hard as it is to watch sometimes, it really is best to let nature take its course; as HartleyHare has said, the parents are likely to be around and caring for it.

We have guidelines for you here. Good luck and let us know the outcome please.

 

bartolli

Well-known member

• Jun 18, 2012

• #5

If you are in during the day, listen out for the parents alarm calls, which will be very loud when the cats are about. You can then go out + chase the cats off! Our bkbirds took about 8 days to fly, but they were damn good climbers from day 1!

 

B

BF1

Member

• Jun 19, 2012

• #6

Just got home and found that he/she is no longer here, at least not in the usual spots.

I don't have a very big garden so its not hard to check around the area.

No signs of discarded feathers so hopefully it did find its wings!

 

delia todd

If I said the wrong thing it was a Senior Moment

Staff member

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Jun 19, 2012

• #7

It sounds as if there may have been a good result then. Good luck to the wee guy.

Thanks for letting us know BF1